Auction provides livestock sellers with summer money

ARENAC COUNTY — There were slightly fewer animals sold at this year’s Arenac County Fair, but roughly $79,356 was still raked in by county youths who worked hard to raise animals for the fair’s auction on July 30.

“Overall, I’m happy with how the sale went,” said Arenac County 4-H Director Lori Marx. “It could’ve been a lot worse.”

Fair board member Robert Stein says with the fewer animals and state of the economy, there is no reason to complain about the results of this year’s sale, even though last year’s brought in over $95,000.

“We’re lucky to have the sale that we had,” he said. “My best-case scenario was the steers would sell for 80 cents (per pound) and someone would raise it up to $1 (per pound). I think the steers probably averaged a dollar and a quarter per pound.”

Overall, 85 different youngsters from Arenac County sold 129 animals or animal pens, with 14 children raising two animals for the sale and a couple taking it even further, selling three animals at the auction.

Out of the 129 animals and animal pens, the breakdown is as follows:

Steers – 24

Pigs – 36

Chickens – 20 pens (three chickens per pen)

Lambs – 14

Pheasants – 25 pens (three pheasants per pen)

Rabbits – Four pens (three rabbits per pen)

Turkeys – Six

“This community really goes all out as far as I can see,” Stein said, adding some rabbit pens brought in $300, equaling $100 per rabbit, an animal he says usually weighs about three and a half pounds. “That’s a lot of money.”

He says that from his experience, the money the kids get from the fair sale has the potential to go a long way.

“I don’t know about everybody, but my own granddaughter puts all her money right in the bank,” he said. “That’s why I support the sale so much.”

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